Scratch Beneath the Surface
by Sacred Dust
Summary: You've played the game. You think you've seen everything there was to see between Cloud and Tifa. But you don't know the whole story...(M for later chapters)
1. Apologies

Here goes. My name is Sacred Dust; nice to meet you all. I'm an aspiring writer who has finally found the Mecca of fan fiction sites: this one. I am honored to contribute to this network. Now sit down and read.

This is a story of love and fun stuff like that, specifically the relationship of Cloud and Tifa in FF7. I liked all the choices and the romantic buildup, but it seemed to lack realism. I wondered how Cloud could journey with two girls he likes for weeks on end without explicitly falling for at least one of them. And so I decided that, in fact, he didn't. Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, I'd be rolling in dough, not writing fan fiction when I should be doing something productive with my life. And if you have an overwhelming desire to flame me, do it politely.

**Scratch Beneath the Surface**

Chapter 1: Apologies

"Sorry, Tifa." The words stung Cloud deep inside, even as he spoke them. He had never felt so guilty about apologizing. And it wasn't because of the blistering argument he'd just had with Barrett, or his loathing of Shinra, the malevolent corporation they were all in league against. It was because he knew he was hurting the one person he really cared about right now, the beautiful dark-haired young woman standing behind him.

"Cloud, the planet is dying. Slowly but surely—it's dying," her clear, appealing voice insisted, pleading with him. "Someone has to do something."

"So let Barret and his buddies do something about it. It's got nothing to do with me." Cloud was tired of arguing; he just wanted to get away. He quickly took another step toward the exit of the bar.

"So! You're really leaving?" Tifa cried suddenly, freezing him in place with her words. Her voice was trembling, barely sure of what it was saying—only that it had to be something. "You're just going to walk right out, ignoring your…your childhood friend!"

It was comical how that phrase still made him wince. Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart, childhood friends. It was true—at least, it used to be—but he found himself thinking differently about her since he had quit Shinra and come back to Midgar.

If Cloud were truly a greedy, cold-blooded mercenary—like Barrett and the rest of AVALANCHE thought he was—he would have walked away right then and there, without bothering to answer her. But he wasn't going to do that to someone like Tifa, someone who he had always been able to depend on for help and support. He couldn't, especially not now.

Cloud took a deep breath, stopping in his tracks once again. "…Sorry." He muttered again. Another damned apology. He was tired of doing that.

The edge in Tifa's voice had softened, betraying her relief. She had demanded that he stay, and he had listened. "You forgot about the promise, too."

Cloud finally turned around, searching her with his unnaturally bright blue eyes. Mako energy did that to you. "What promise?"

Tifa's face fell, and she turned away from him. "So you _did_ forget."

Cloud said nothing. In fact, he did remember something…but it couldn't be what she was referring to. He'd thought that was just a silly, girlish thing. He hadn't given it another thought since it happened.

"Remember, Cloud?" Tifa coaxed him, stubbornly. "I mean, it was seven years ago, but..."

_Yep_, he thought. _That was it_.

"Come on." Tifa took his hand and left the bar with him.

Outside, night was falling over the Sector 7 slums of Midgar. Everything was old, cheap, and broken down, from the piles of rubbish lying around to the ramshackle hybrids of wood and metal that passed for houses. Tifa's 7th Heaven was probably in the best condition of all the buildings. That, and the great food and drink, was what made it popular. No wonder the customers hadn't taken kindly to being kicked out by Barrett, who always wanted the bar empty for a meeting so no one would find out about AVALANCHE's secret hideout beneath it.

Cloud followed Tifa to the center of the slum, and there they stopped.

"Look, the well." Tifa pointed out.

Indeed, the old well was still there. A rope was once lowered from a small crane over the opening to pull up water from below, but the well wasn't used much anymore because the ground underneath had become so polluted.

Cloud nodded, showing Tifa that he was listening. He didn't want to hurt her feelings any more than he had to. She meant too much to him now. "Yeah, I remember. Back in the day, I guess, before I left for Shinra."

She nodded encouragingly. "Yes!"

"I thought you would never come. I was getting a little cold out here."

And Cloud could almost see the two of them sitting there, nearly ten years ago—barely into their early teens, when they were just finding out what life held in store for them.

"Sorry I'm late." Tifa had said, walking over a pile of junk and joining him on top of the well. "You said you wanted me to talk to you about something?"

Cloud had felt the urge to shiver in the night air, but suppressed it. Even at that age, he hesitated to show any kind of weakness or reveal his emotions, especially to a girl. Slowly, he explained that he would be leaving town for Midgar—not just to get any old job, but to join SOLDIER, an elite military branch of Shinra, Incorporated. He promised he would get in the papers if he could, but that he wouldn't be able to contact her or come back to Midgar for a while.

And then something strange had happened, something he remembered most of all—he could have sworn that Tifa cried. It was only for a few seconds, and he couldn't be sure, but maybe she had shed a few tears there when he wasn't looking.

And then had come those words out of the blue, totally surprising him.

"Cloud…why don't we make a promise?"

He didn't know what she was getting at, so he waited for her to explain.

"If you get really famous," Tifa said, so quietly he had to strain to make out the words, "And I'm ever in trouble…will you come and save me?"

Cloud hesitated. "Save you?"

Tifa nodded. It was obvious that the idea had stuck with her since childhood, even before she'd learned that no fairy tale ever comes true. It was the one dream she still carried within herself, despite the squalor and depressing surrounding her, and she refused to let it go. "If I'm in trouble, my hero will come rescue me."

Cloud couldn't see her expression; her back was turned. But he didn't think she was joking.

"I want to experience that at least once." Tifa breathed. And with that, she had entrusted him with her deepest fantasy. It was one of the few things left that she hadn't disclosed to him as they'd grown up together, and now she had finally worked up the nerve to tell him.

Tifa turned to him suddenly. "Please, Cloud—promise me."

Cloud was baffled by it—this didn't quite sound like the Tifa he knew. But what could he say? No?

"All right," he said, if only to put an end to the awkward meeting, for which each of them had snuck out of their houses at night. "I promise."

Neither of them had seen the shooting star overhead, but somehow they had felt it. And then they knew their words held true meaning, and would never be forgotten. No matter what happened between them in the future, there would always be that promise.

"So you remember now." Tifa said quietly as they walked back into the bar. "I'm glad."

Cloud tried to smirk, but there was no conviction on his face. He knew he had an obligation to stay and fight Shinra with her, but he was still bitter about the way Barrett had insulted him in the hideout. He was still down there now, probably destroying the punching bag, while Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie puttered around with machines and charts, planning their next move like good little helpers. Those three weren't bad people, but they weren't perfect. They had joined AVALANCHE because they didn't have the strength to stand alone. That was something Cloud had always valued, and a similar discipline had been hammered into him from his days in SOLDIER. Too bad his future hadn't turned out as bright as he'd hoped on that night seven years ago.

"I'm not a hero," he sighed, avoiding her eyes. "And I'm not famous, either. So what does that promise mean now?"

"Everything," Tifa whispered. "You got your childhood dream, didn't you? You joined SOLDIER and everything. And I don't care if you're famous anymore."

Cloud found himself unwillingly reflecting on all the special moments he and Tifa had shared, all the times they had played together, had fights and made up, got to know each other better than they knew themselves. The memories put his whole body on edge, and he couldn't understand why. How come he wanted so badly to look at her right now, but was trying to stop himself? He was caught between shame and another feeling, a nervous sensation he had never experienced before. He tried desperately not to let it show.

_Look at her, you idiot_, he told himself. What was wrong with him?

"I…" Cloud said awkwardly. But he had no idea what to tell her.

Now he knew what he had been so afraid of. Once he was looking at her, he found that he couldn't take his eyes away. She had always been beautiful, but now she was grown up, just like him. He'd never looked at her so closely, and suddenly a million strange thoughts filled his head.

How would it feel to touch her? To ask her out? To make love with her?

Cloud fought to stop a blush from creeping over his cheeks. He couldn't believe this. Him and Tifa had always been close, but they were just friends—nothing more. Their relationship had never gone outside those boundaries. He didn't even want to imagine how she would react if she knew what was going through his mind. She might run away—or slap him, probably. She'd always been good at that. But he couldn't convince himself to stop thinking about her, no matter how he tried.

_I wonder how she would look without her clothes on?_

Cloud really did blush this time, and abruptly fixed his icy stare on the floor. He had been looking at her too long, and too closely.

Tifa knew it, too. For just a few seconds, she had felt something in the air that she'd never sensed before—at least, not with Cloud. But somehow, remembering the promise had affected them.

_Why was he looking at me that way…?_

Cloud was turning away, looking for an escape—but for a different reason this time.

"Cloud, I…"

He stopped.

"It's okay…I mean…you don't have to leave."

He hesitated, hearing an unfamiliar tone in her voice. It was softer, more soothing than usual. Like she was trying to comfort him.

It couldn't be. Did she really know how he felt?

"Don't go," Tifa reached out and put one gloved hand on his arm. "You have to keep our promise."

But she wasn't talking about that anymore. There was something different beneath her words, a question she didn't dare to ask.

A question Cloud found himself answering as he turned around and put his hands delicately on her shoulders, returning her gaze now.

Tifa smiled and put her arms around him as well, kissing him gently on the cheek. He returned the gesture, even though it felt so different this time—so much more important than it had ever been.

They barely noticed how their faces were coming closer and closer together, their eyes glittering strangely in the light from the makeshift fireplace.

It was only now that Cloud noticed how wonderful she smelled. Tifa had never been known to wear perfume, but there was something there nonetheless, and it was so good it nearly made him dizzy. He could already feel the butterflies in his stomach.

Tifa couldn't believe something like this was actually happening. But their lips were only inches apart now, and she had no choice but to accept the situation as it was. She slowly allowed her eyes to close, let herself drift in the exciting sensation of Cloud holding her and the sweet certainty that they were about to come closer together than they ever had before.

"YO! Wait a sec, big-time SOLDIER!" a boisterous yell shattered the moment, and Cloud and Tifa quickly broke apart, having come so close to something special.

It was, of course, Barrett, climbing up the ropes that led down into the hideout. He jumped off into the bar, facing them with a grim look on his face. Cloud had to fight the urge to start shouting at him all over again, considering his especially lousy timing.

"A promise is a promise. Here." The loud, aggressive leader of AVALANCHE unceremoniously tossed some coins in his direction.

At hearing that word again, Tifa turned away so Barrett wouldn't see the look on her face. Cloud snatched the coins up from the floor, glaring in annoyance.

_You're Cloud_, he told himself. _You were not about to kiss your best friend. You're a cold, emotionless S.O.B. Say something derisive, like you always do._

"You're kidding," he said, sounding more convincing than he'd hoped. "THIS is my pay? Don't make me laugh."

Tifa whirled around. She couldn't keep the pure happiness—and that other mysterious feeling—from coming out. She looked like a child on Christmas morning. Except for the fact that she was 20 years old, and incredibly hot. "Then you mean…"

"You got the next mission lined up?" Cloud kept his eyes on Barrett. "I'll do it for 3000 gil."

"WHAT?" cried Barrett. Pushing his buttons had never been difficult for Cloud, especially when they were talking about his pay.

"It's okay, it's okay." Tifa quickly stepped forward, calming him down and whispering so Cloud wouldn't hear, even though she felt those amazing eyes still glued to her. "We're really hurting for help, right?"

"That…that money's for Marlene's schooling!" Barrett hissed, referring to his six-year-old daughter.

Tifa pleaded him with her eyes. She wanted Cloud to stay. But was it because of the promise at the well…or because…

"2000!" Barrett snapped at him. He abruptly walked away, climbing back down into the basement.

And Cloud and Tifa were alone again.

They couldn't do it now. Someone might come back up, or a customer might walk in, and then…well, it would be an awkward situation at best.

For the time being, they held each other with their eyes.

"Thanks, Cloud." Tifa whispered.

Cloud nodded, and went to follow Barrett. He needed to get some sleep, and push these ridiculous thoughts out of his mind.

But they weren't ridiculous at all, he knew—not anymore.

He dreamed of her until the next morning.


	2. A Rude Awakening

Time for the next chapter. Thanks to all of you who reviewed; you guys are great. Hopefully more will come along. Thanks for reading.

And now to astound you with the further developments between Cloud and Tifa—that's right, I've finally updated. Here goes. (You didn't think this was going to be a one-shot, did you?)

Chapter 2: A Rude Awakening

"Aight," Barrett announced, "In two minutes, we're jumpin' off this train."

These were the words Cloud and Tifa heard from the bellowing leader of AVALANCHE. And as much trouble as they had believing the words, Barrett's fierce expression was enough to convince them of his honesty. Not to mention his desperation.

"What y'all lookin' at me like that for?" he demanded. "You wanna get caught? Then stay here! Have fun! But all I know is, those Shinra bastards ain't taking me down without a fight. Now are you with me or not?"

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, all clad in somewhat ridiculous disguises, nodded assent. They were with Barrett no matter what he did. Cloud and Tifa were reluctant to join in, but it seemed they had no choice. Their new fake IDs weren't working, and the train's security sensors had easily detected them as unauthorized passengers. They had to escape the train somehow before it was automatically locked down, and it appeared that jumping out was the only way.

How ironic that they'd been taking the train to destroy another mako reactor.

They ran through the compartments of the train as its doors locked behind them, heading for the caboose. At long last, they got there, and Barrett threw open the door. Yellow lights flashed by them rapidly, the only illumination of the dark tunnel the train was running through.

Cloud and Tifa barely noticed.

They were focusing too closely on each other.

"I…I never thought we'd have to do something like this." Tifa said, trying not to stare at Cloud. He looked so tough and untouchable in his purple SOLDIER outfit, especially with his sword, that she couldn't get him out of her mind.

_Is she blushing?_ Cloud thought, irritated by her hesitation. "You didn't have to come along, you know."

"I know…" she definitely was blushing, and she knew it most of all. She looked down at the floor, feeling those piercing eyes on her.

"Hey, you two!" Barrett grumbled. "There ain't no time for that! We need to get off this damn train now!"

Tifa felt ashamed of herself for acting so girlish. She immediately stepped up to the open doorway, watching the lights go by.

Turning to Cloud, she wondered if she was even competent to go on this mission. Especially because she was so distracted. She just couldn't get last night out of her mind—how good it had felt to be that close to him, how close she had come to kissing him…

"All right. Here I go." She said, forcing those thoughts out of her mind. She turned around, coiled her athletic body like a spring, and calmly hopped out of the train. She didn't even lose her balance when she landed, but she did have to get her hands up, to stop herself from running into the tunnel wall. Up ahead, she saw Cloud jump out of the train as well. He tripped on the floor and rolled over a few times, protecting his head with his arms.

Tifa ran up to him, her attractive features tight with concern. "You okay, Cloud?"

"Yeah, fine." He shrugged, brushing himself off as he got to his feet.

Barrett also jumped off. Characteristically, he landed in a heap, but was quite unharmed. "See? That wasn't so bad! Aight…the way to the reactor should be just down this tunnel. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie got everything ready for us, so move it!"

Together, they turned and sprinted into the darkness, keeping as quiet as possible even though no one was likely to be there. It was just an old reactor network, after all. Barrett had selected this one as their target on the knowledge that it would be the easiest to infiltrate and destroy. He had another bomb all ready to go.

The trio didn't make it far before coming across some glowing sensors. Walking through them would send alarms shrieking throughout the reactor.

"We can't go any further." Cloud observed, his mouth set in an irritated line. Tifa almost laughed; secretly, she was so familiar with all of Cloud's mannerisms and expressions that none of them surprised her anymore. She had known him so well for most of their lives…and yet, since he'd come back from SOLDIER…something between them was different.

She almost didn't want to believe it, but their strange behavior last night was proof of their changing personalities. They were grownups now, and grownups experienced feelings that kids did not. It scared her, almost; did she want to go back to being a toddler, running around Nibelheim with Cloud, kicking dirt at each other for fun and making their parents yell at them?

Or did she want to stay here and now, where there were no parents—only constant danger—and they could communicate in ways that neither one had ever thought possible?

"Man…that's one damn tiny hole," Barrett barked, and Tifa's head jerked up. She cursed herself for daydreaming during such an important mission. "You're telling me to squeeze in there to get into the reactor?"

"It's the only way," Cloud said, shifting his full attention to the small tunnel in the wall. "After coming this far, only an amateur would get caught by a security sensor. It looks all right to me. But once we go in, we won't be able to go back."

He'd stolen a glance at Tifa before inspecting the hole, and was puzzled by what he had seen. She looked like she was totally spaced out. All his life, he'd never known anymore more focused and alert than Tifa. Something unusual must be going on.

_Three guesses,_ he thought wryly to himself.

"All right," Barrett gave in, shaking his head, still peering in at the tunnel, a little sweat already beading on his forehead. "But damn, man…that thing gives me the creeps."

Creeps or not, they had soon crawled through the tunnel and taken some air ducts down into a massive docking area. It was dark, abandoned, and scary. One of the ladders in the distance led to the reactor. Cloud saw the small figure of Wedge waving to them from one of those ladders, and he knew that must be the correct one.

They ran for Wedge, fighting a variety of Shinra's soldiers and monsters on the way. Wedge assured them that he, Jessie, and Biggs would be moving out immediately. It was up to Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett to finish this job.

After some quick, hushed words, the three terrorists ascended the ladder into the mako reactor.

As they fought their way through the place, easily overwhelming the sparse security forces, Cloud and Tifa continued to steal glances at each other. Neither one of them could stop thinking about the other—not knowing the other was thinking about them just as much. Both thought they were making something out of nothing, that they were just fooling themselves.

Both were wrong.

Cloud stepped across the catwalk to the core of the reactor, with Tifa in front of him and Barrett behind him. It was time to set another bomb. The first time he'd done this, he had been stunned by a sudden realization, some wisp of a strange memory. He prayed it wouldn't happen again this time.

Of course, it did. He almost knew what it was going to be—after all, he was thinking about her so much. There was Tifa—in another reactor, kneeling over her slain father, taking Sephiroth's sword and swearing her hatred for not only her father's killer, but Shinra, mako, and war altogether.

Finally the vision faded out, and another replaced it—an older, more beautiful Tifa, staring at him with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Hey, man! Are you all right?" Barrett's voice growled behind him.

"Tifa…" Cloud whispered her name almost involuntarily.

Suddenly, it seemed like the most important word in the world.

"Hmm?" she nodded expectantly.

But he couldn't tell her.

"Uh…nothing. I guess I tripped. Must've bumped my head or something." He muttered, knowing that no one, especially him, believed this excuse. "Let's get this done."

Quickly, he stooped down to the core and started the time bomb. It would go off soon, but they had plenty of time to get out, unlike in their close shave with the first reactor.

They were almost out when they saw three very bad things coming their way: an army of soldiers, President Shinra himself, and a truly formidable robot sent to dispose of them once and for all.

Cloud didn't know how it had happened. Perhaps it was just a really bad day.

But here he was, hanging onto the edge of a catwalk with one hand, while Tifa and Barrett stared down at him, their eyes wide with horror.

"Cloud…" Barrett's voice seemed oddly quiet, but still quite audible. "Are you gonna be all right?"

_Be strong,_ Cloud told himself. "I'm fine. Take care of Tifa."

"Okay, man."

Even seconds from his impending death, Tifa was all he could think about. Cloud Strife didn't want things to end this way, not right now. Not when he was just starting to realize the strange new feelings he had for his childhood friend.

Strangely enough, his life did not flash before his eyes. He did not have the feeling that he was about to die. He had the feeling that his life was about to become infinitely more complicated and strange, and that he would have to do things he'd never done before to protect the people he cared about.

If he lived, he would fight through all of it—he promised himself. And he would talk to Tifa about these feelings, and come to understand this strange new electricity between them, no matter what.

But how was he going to live through this, anyway?

"Hang on!" Barrett said, incongruously. Of course Cloud couldn't hold on. Not for much longer.

Just as he thought about it, it happened. The bomb he had set so far back went off, destroying the reactor. The blast didn't reach them where they were—but it sent a fierce vibration through the catwalk, and Cloud lost his grip, seeming to fall forever to the slums of Midgar below.

Tifa was so blinded by emotion that she acted without thinking. She actually tried to jump down after him, and might have done it if Barrett hadn't held her back. She sobbed into his arm, her body shuddering with grief and shock.

She had never cared about anybody more in her life—never had stronger or more compelling feelings for another soul—than she did for Cloud.

And now he was gone.


End file.
